New Skates - RX:20, RX:25, XR2, XR3 A5, 6k

[Södy 0]

Hi Guys,

First of all I'd like to introduce myself as I'm new to this forums. My name is Niels, 23 years old from Hamburg, Germany. Playing ice hockey my whole life (as a goalie) and roller since 4 years now.

Last practice my old CCM Externo Cage Skates which are from 2003/04 and I got from a teammate broke completely. Beside the crack of the chassis, the sole also cracked.

So I'm in for new skates. I only have around 200€s which makes this whole thing very complicated.

I have several skates to choose:

Bauer RX:20 - Labeda Gripper Millenium X-Soft Wheels - 150€

Bauer RX:25 - Labeda Gripper Millenium X-Soft Wheels - 195€

Bauer XR2 - with additional INSTRIKE (german home brand) wheels - 145€

Bauer XR3 - with standard Bauer Wheels 76a - 180€

Mission A5 - with Mission DSX Indoor Wheels 76a - 180€

Reebok 6k - old model with Rink Rat Hotshot Wheels, TiDi System and Alu Chassis (not the Reebok-Labeda one) - 172€

So before the Cage I had the Vapor Speed for 90 bucks and I played them 2 years before switching over. Just made the switch because this skate was harder, the speed wasn't broken or something.

So which skates would be the best for the money? Also are the wheels good on the skates? I'm concerned of how the X-Soft would hold up. I'm a 183lbs guy, and used the Mission Vision / Helium 1000 74a wheels without problems now over 1,5 seasons and only 2 I had to change.

I heard the RX:25 have huge problems with falling apart after a short time. Right now my favorite would be the RX:20 for this price. I might also want to get the XR3 but I'm not sure how the wheels are. Do they have good grip and last long? How is this with the Labeda Millenium wheels? Do they last long?

I really hope you can give me any advice on which skates to get :)

Kind regards

Niels

[althoma1 574]

The only wheels I have experience with in your list are the Rink Rat Hot Shot wheels and they provide good grip and durability on the Sportcourt surface if you're using the right durometer for your weight. Since I'm around 230lbs I have to use either 78a or 80a Hot Shots (they now no longer make 80a and 78a is the hardest available). At 183lbs you could probably get away with the 76a wheels that likely come standard, but 78a would be a bit more durable.

So I'd say the wheels on the 6K skates are a good value for sportcourt, but you didn't say which surface you're playing on. With that said, you shouldn't choose the skate based on the wheels. Get the skate that fits your foot best and offers some decent stiffness and then change the wheels later if necessary. Ideally the wheels on that skate will work for a while, but it's better to have wheels you're unhappy with that you can change then to have wheels that are great and a boot that fits poorly. The boot fit should be the priority.

[Södy 0]

Okay thank you.

Right now we're playing in the gym which is very slippery. Not even guys with x-soft wheels have grip at all and I'm with my 74a neither. They are melting down the ice at our rink and build up a complete new surface from scratch. So nobody knows how this works out or which wheels we need. Before we played the with the Hyper G New Era 74a and were good. So I think I might try the standard wheels at first and get some new ones in june when I know what to wear at our homecourt.

I sadly have no option to try them on in a store since no store is near to me. But from my experience I can say, that I have some player ice skates from Reebok which I don't like. I definetly prefer Bauer from the feeling. So you'd say I better go with Bauer then? I think I go for the RX:20 should be enoug.

[althoma1 574]

If you don't like the feeling of the Reebok ice skates then don't get the Reebok roller hockey skates because the fit should be the same. If you have no option to try the skates on anyway, but have a good idea of your size in various models (perhaps trying on team mates skates) then perhaps you want to look on ebay or for skates that sellers will ship internationally. You may be able to get a higher end skate that way that's still within your budget.

Now, that's only if trying them on is not an option at all and you're pretty sure about your size. If you're not sure about your size then it would be worth taking the time and effort to drive to a shop that has the skates in stock even if you have to drive for several hours. It will ensure you get a good fit and would be cheaper in the long run then ordering skates online, finding out they don't fit, reselling them for a loss and then guessing on your size again. I've made that mistake in the past myself - now I only buy skates online if I've already used the skates I'm buying or I've tried them on before (teammates or at events ect.).

[Södy 0]

Well I always had 43 in bauer. So I just order these. It isnt a problem here in germany - if they dont fit I can send them back within 30 days and either get my money back or get another size. I have 42.5 in my reebok goalie skates and like I said before 43 in my Bauers before (ice and roller skates) and all fitted well. unless they changed the sizing drastically over the last few years, it should fit.

So you can't talk about the durability / performance of the RX:20 or?

[althoma1 574]

Well I always had 43 in bauer. So I just order these. It isnt a problem here in germany - if they dont fit I can send them back within 30 days and either get my money back or get another size. I have 42.5 in my reebok goalie skates and like I said before 43 in my Bauers before (ice and roller skates) and all fitted well. unless they changed the sizing drastically over the last few years, it should fit.

So you can't talk about the durability / performance of the RX:20 or?

Unfortunately I haven't used any of those skates so I can't help you out there. Hopefully someone else can. Most of the skates I've used are conversions. I have two roller hockey skates at the moment - Torspo Surge 221's with a Sprung Chassis and Mission Boss skates with a Sprung Chassis. I either use Rink Rat Hot Shots, MB816 or Revision Variant Gold Wheels with them on Sport Court.

I can tell you that the Sprung Chassis does allow you to have a more ice like stride and I prefer it to the flat chassis and tuuk rocker I used to use, however; it's currently only available in very limited quantities or used. There's a huge thread about the chassis on this site if you want to learn more about that, but a conversion will generally be more expensive than an OEM skate.

I believe I've seen some feedback on most of those skates at one time or another on this site so a good start would be doing a google search of each skate and search within modsquadhockey.com (either an advanced search with the domain specified or simply googling something like XR:25 modsquad should work) and read through what you find that way. I just didn't pay a lot of attention to the feedback on those skates because I wasn't looking to buy them.

[Södy 0]

Ok thank you. I already searched a lot but couldnt find something about the durability without the fact that half of the RX:25s out there are break down pretty quick. Hopefully someone else has some infos for me :) thank you!

[Vet88 674]

If you aren't in a hurry and with a budget of 200 euro, you may want to look on eBay and various forums (here or IW for example). Depending on your size, there are some good prices at the moment for skates from last year's model range on special. Post your foot length (place a piece of paper against a wall, place foot on paper with heel against the wall and then mark the end of your longest toe and then measure from the wall to the toe mark) and we can tell you what size you should be looking for.

The XR3's take a lot of breaking in. RX25's are good value for money if you are not a heavy person or an aggressive, rip the rink up skater. Mission now use the Bauer toe caps and a few other design points so the gap in fit and style between Mission and Bauer has narrowed a lot.

[Kanya 3]

I'd be looking to get Alkali Ca5's.

[sharks25 9]

My rx25s didn't really break down much, the outsole cracked and the chassis bent after a hard fall into the boards after skating on them around a year. So, decent durability.

[Södy 0]

Ok thank you a lot for your answers.

Actually, I am in a hurry, have to order tomorrow to get the skates on friday for practice.

Like I said, I'm 183lbs and still going down (lost a lot of weight over the last 4, 5 months) and dont know what you mean with aggressive but I'm not Start-Stop all the time I mostly make turns. Like said, some Vapor Express 90 bucks skates lasted me 2 seasons and I havent changed my skating much since then.

I also thought about the Alkalis are they any good? How do they size? I watched the youtube Video from Inlinewarehouse and in the comments there were multiple questions if the CA5 or RX25 / XR4 are better and the guys from IW always said that Bauer were the better skate. Don't know how much this has to do with the selling politic though.

I'm going to measure my foot when I come home this evening.

@sharks25

How did the outsole cracked? Could it be taped or even be repaired (i.e. for a cobbler or someone else)? Or were they unusable after this? And with the chassis bent, do you mean, it's gotten lose from the boot so you would have to rivet them new? I wouldnt have a problem if they go down in a year and I have to spend a few bucks to repair them. Would suck if I need to buy new ones next year.

Greetings and thanks in advance :)

edit:

Ok my problem seem just do flew away. After measuring my foot (from heel to largest toe) I cam up to around 26,5 cm (10,43 inch). This would be size 42 in Europe and 7 for Bauer Skates according to inlinewarehouse and my local hockey dealer where I would order the skates. The bad thing, the RX25 are only available from size 8 upwards. So I will be rocking RX:20 on friday. Thanks for your help!

edit2:

Ok I cant stop thinking about it. Now I've taken another look at the Reebok 6ks (the older model). They look pretty well made and I just heards good things about it. I said, I didnt liked my Reebok ice skates but they were from 2007 and were the cheapest model (3k) and are too big (Size EU 44, now I would go with EU 42). So I believe there will be a huge difference in the 6k or? The 6k just look like they were made better than the RX:20s.

[jazz4all 9]

for CA5, u better check the stiffness. although the skates itself fits great, its softer than bauer or mission at the same price point.

[sharks25 9]

The reebok 6k is also very soft. My rx25s are being skates on by my friend, so they're defenitely usable. I play narch gold, and may play aihl soon. Rx20s are pretty good skates, as are mission t6s. I would recommend the t6 over most other skates for its pricepoint. The ca5 felt a bit softer, but also felt heavier than most others.

[Södy 0]

T6 would be nice but sadly the 220€s are out of my reach.

[sharks25 9]

I would spend the extra money for them if at all possible. If you can find the older missions they were very nice too. Many of my friends skate on t6s, t7s, t8s, and the older missions with cursive writing on the sides. They all love them.

If you can't find them, rx20s or ca5s. The reeboks get soft fast and their chassis is not as good as the others.

[Södy 0]

Ok. So the T6 are a big step over the RX:20? I might try to find some money but otherwise I'd go with the RX:20.

[Vet88 674]

If you measure 26.5cm, you are a size 71/2 for a perfect fit (for the Bauer and Rbk skates you have so far mentioned). You could get into a 7 but your toes would most likely be mashed against the toe cap. You could also fit an 8 with around 5mm of space, not a great fit but not a bad fit either. However each manufacturer has subtly different sizings so if ordering off the web you may want to ask here first as someone somewhere will have be wearing the boot you are looking at and have a close size.

[sharks25 9]

I just have seen people have a better experience with them. I have seen 2 rx20s with cracked outsoles, but no t6s. I think the outsole is slightly different. The t6s have better wheels too, bit the same chassis. I think they are slightly stiffer too.

[Södy 0]

Ok.

Yeah sadly they dont have any 7.5 skates. Only 8.

I just came back from ice hockey practice. I wore a 8.5 GRAF and an EU 43 Bauer One95 (which should be Bauer Size 8). The GRAF was at the limit, it shouldnt have been a size smaller but I dont know how they fit. The Bauer was nearly perfect. I had 0.5 - 1 cm space in the toe area. So I would have to go with a 7.5. But with no 7.5 available I should better go with a 8 or? I mean, I wore an EU 43 Bauer Vapor Express, EU 43 Mission (dont know which model, was an ice hockey skate converted with Bauer Chassis) and an 9 CCM Externo Cage (which is labeled as a EU43 aswell) and I never had any problems with hurting feets or blisters (only the first few skates until they were broken in). So I would be better with a Size 8 / EU43 Bauer Skate or?

Then I would go for the RX:25 instead of the RX:20 if you, sharks25, say that they are still playable. I really want a skate for 2-3 years, like I said before, no problem if I have to invest a few bucks over this span to repair it or I need to tape it. Do you know other players who have the skate? Do they have the same problems or is yours "unique"?

And thank you for your tip with the T6s. But the order should be RX:25 -> T6 -> RX:20 or?

[sharks25 9]

T6>rx25>rx20 or ca5. The only reason I would rank the t6 higher is because of the few durability issues. Only 1 other friend of mine had a cracked outsole. The other 4 are still skating on them with no complaints. And many other people I see around have had them for a while, so I'm guessing they've lasted well for them.

[althoma1 574]

Ok.

Yeah sadly they dont have any 7.5 skates. Only 8.

I just came back from ice hockey practice. I wore a 8.5 GRAF and an EU 43 Bauer One95 (which should be Bauer Size 8). The GRAF was at the limit, it shouldnt have been a size smaller but I dont know how they fit. The Bauer was nearly perfect. I had 0.5 - 1 cm space in the toe area. So I would have to go with a 7.5. But with no 7.5 available I should better go with a 8 or? I mean, I wore an EU 43 Bauer Vapor Express, EU 43 Mission (dont know which model, was an ice hockey skate converted with Bauer Chassis) and an 9 CCM Externo Cage (which is labeled as a EU43 aswell) and I never had any problems with hurting feets or blisters (only the first few skates until they were broken in). So I would be better with a Size 8 / EU43 Bauer Skate or?

Then I would go for the RX:25 instead of the RX:20 if you, sharks25, say that they are still playable. I really want a skate for 2-3 years, like I said before, no problem if I have to invest a few bucks over this span to repair it or I need to tape it. Do you know other players who have the skate? Do they have the same problems or is yours "unique"?

And thank you for your tip with the T6s. But the order should be RX:25 -> T6 -> RX:20 or?

If you have 0.5cm to 1cm of room in an 8 Bauer then they're a half to a full size too big. If you feel the space was closer to 1cm then you should drop down to a 7, but if it was closer to 0.5cm then a 7.5 should be the perfect fit. I'd skip the RX:25s if they're only available in 8 and above - that up to 1cm of space will turn into more as the skates break in and the padding compresses which could cause issues and lead to premature breakdown of the skate.

If the shop has T6 and RX:20 skates in your size and you need them in a hurry pick between those. I'd probably go for the cheaper RX:20s at those prices and then next time look for a deal on skates before your new ones need to be replaced - that way you can probably find a higher end model for a cheaper price in the classified sections of sites like this, IW or on ebay ect. Hell, you could buy the RX:20s and look for a cheaper high end model right away and then simply use the RX:20s until the higher models arrived and at that point demote them to backup/outdoor skates. That's of course a more expensive option. I always like to have backup ice and roller hockey skates (and other equipment) so I'm never in a position where I have to rush to get something and pay full retail. Having backups affords you the time to extensively research the best products and then wait patiently to find a great deal in your size.

[Södy 0]

It was definetly closer to the 0.5 cm. So I still think an 8 would be a good (not great) fit.

Ah this is killing me badly!

[Södy 0]

edit: Ok, found a 7.5 size RX:20 in another shop and they made me a 155€ price. Here I go :)

Going to buy this baby then and will be looking for a good ice hockey skate around 200€s over the year. Will make a conversion with the rx:20 chassis then.

edit2: Ok I ordered them. Thank you for all your help I hope they hold up well for me :)

[Justin 1933 134]

for CA5, u better check the stiffness. although the skates itself fits great, its softer than bauer or mission at the same price point.

I completely disagree on the statement regarding stiffness. I would say the CA5 and RX25 have almost identical stiffness. The bigger difference is in the fit. The mold ability of the CA5 is much greater than the RX25.

[Södy 0]

OK, had one practice with the RX20 in 7.5. It was the right choice, they fit perfectly. My little toe was pushed a little bit when I tried it on first, but I havent felt it after 5 min of skating. I also just got a blister after 1,5 hours and still only one.

Great skate so far...